Sleeping Beauty

This morning Garrett played on his playmat while Andrea pumped. He enjoyed grabbing the Parrott as well as hearing and feeling it crinkle. When he had enough of that, he had Tummy Time. After a few head turns from side to side he had enough of that. Andrea gave him a bath that he really enjoyed.

After getting dressed he spent time in his bouncy chair. He likes to swat his hands at the toys, especially the lion, which he stares at intently. As Andrea was getting out of the shower, he made noise that he was done - a kind of pre-cry. Andrea quickly dried off and then turned on the blowdrier, which calmed him and he fell asleep, allowing Andrea to dry her hair and dress.

He continued napping while Andrea attacked the mess that had been growing downstairs since the couch left. At noon, Garrett woke up to eat and I came home for lunch. He snuggled with me for a few minutes after we all ate, before I had to go back to work. Then he went into his rocking chair while Andrea continued to clean downstairs and he fell asleep to the sound from the vacuum cleaner.

When he hears a white noise, like the vacuum, his eyes get glossy as if he is tuning out visual stimulus and focusing on the sound. His whole body relaxes and he is hypnotized. Eventually, his eyelids become heavy and he falls asleep.

Andrea finished cleaning the downstairs just in time for Garrett to wake up. When he awakened, he did not cry like he usually does, but rather sat there contently. Andrea thought it was time for a diaper change and some food. For the next hour or so, Garrett kept falling asleep on the breast rather than eating. Andrea decided to take Garrett and Katie for a walk. It was a little too cold to stay out, so they went for a short walk to the mailbox and returned home. Of course, Katie really wanted to walk! Garrett was asleep when they got home, so Andrea fed Katie and bathed her. Garrett still had not woken up, so she did some laundry and dishes. Andrea was feeling that it was time to feed Garrett, but he was still asleep, so she pumped again. I came home and we made dinner together - a mache salad with pear and pecans and then a delicious tilipia main course. It was great to cook together. In fact, it was the first time since Garrett's birth that we have cooked together - a
pasttime we used to enjoy on a daily basis. (He is worth all the changes, but it was nice to cook and dance in the kitchen together again!) Of course Garrett woke up just as we were sitting down to have the entree. Although Garrett seemed hungry, he was more interested in suckling than actually eating. Andrea thought maybe a burping and diaper change would be a good break and help him focus on eating when he
returned to the breast.

He has eaten so little today that his courdoroy pants fell off as soon as Andrea picked him up. Andrea was having so much fun playing with him during the diaper change that he got the hiccups, which he usually gets when he is cold. They must be contagious because Andrea has been having them a couple times each week lately. Andrea never had the hiccups before Garrett was born, although Garrett had them in the womb every day the last month of the pregnancy. The only thing that gets rid of
Garrett's hiccups is milk. (I made pumpkin cake and chai latte while Garrett fell asleep snuggling and Andrea finished writing this entry!)

He is spending so much time sleeping, especially the past few days. Could it be because he is growing?